


The Murder In The Dressing Room

by Bleepblopbloop56



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Deceit Sanders, Blood, Character Death, Gore, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, Murder, Needles, unsympathetic Deceit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 10:17:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20375143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleepblopbloop56/pseuds/Bleepblopbloop56
Summary: Beloved actor Thomas Sanders has been found dead inside his dressing room, and detectives Logan Grey and Remy Murphy have been assigned to the case. But when Logan's ex boyfriend moves back into town and it seems like more people are dropping dead by the second, the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place to form a picture much more perplexing than they imagined.





	1. Vultures

Thomas Sanders was dead.

Thomas Sanders was _ dead _.

_Thomas Sanders_ _was_ _dead._

Logan paced back and forth on the sidewalk outside the Star Theater, cursing quietly to himself. Inside, there were already teams of investigators and police officers swarming the place. News reporters would show up any minute, circling the theater like vultures on the hunt for fresh meat.

_ Or no, not fresh meat, _ Logan corrected himself. _ Carrion. _

And this case certainly would deliver. He could already imagine the sensational headline: _ Actor and musician Thomas F. Sanders stabbed to death in dressing room! _

The earliest rays of daybreak were shining over the buildings nearby, turning the clouds bright pink and edging them with gold. Dew was still fresh on the grass. The silence was only broken by a dog a few houses down, perhaps yipping at a squirrel taunting it through the safety of a window. 

And inside the local theater, Thomas Sanders was dead. 

"Hey girl, catch me up before I go in." Remy's voice pierced through the thick veil of Logan's thoughts. He nudged him with his elbow, drawing Logan's attention to two black coffees in his freshly manicured hands. Remy Murphy was really a character that epitomized the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." From the hot pink professionally done nails to the overpriced sunglasses perched above his head, he didn't exactly fit the image of a stereotypical detective.

Logan cleared his throat- and mind. He briskly took the coffee cups from his partner and set it in his car, grumbling something about food wasn't allowed on the crime scene.

"So, who we got in there?" The flash of red and blue lights caught in the reflection of his glasses, and distantly Logan could hear multiple cars approaching. _ Vultures. _

He started walking towards the building, silently telling Remy to follow. "Thomas Sanders- an actor- was found dead inside his dressing room this morning. Multiple stab wounds to the chest, and… one other thing."

Logan pushed forward into the theater, weaving rapidly through the hallways back to the dressing rooms despite the lights being off. Remy huffed as he was forced to run to catch up to Logan, who had just reached an all-too-familiar door and shoved it open to reveal a whirlwind of activity in the small room. There was blood splattered over props and costumes, a camera flashing over evidence, police officers bustling around- and there in the middle of it all lay a body wearing a gold mask. 

"Holy _ shit, _ that's creepy." Remy crouched down beside the corpse. It was impossible to shake off the feeling that the gleaming mask, spotless despite its bloody surroundings, was staring back with an eerie smile. "What the fuck?" He whirled off to ensure that the medical examiner and photographer had done their jobs, but Logan remained where he was, taking in the mask obscuring his dead friend's face.

"Melpomene and Thalia. The theater masks. Makes sense, considering he's an actor, but it still raises one question." Remy returned, slipping on his gloves to remove the mask with a look of barely-concealed distaste. Logan forced himself not to look away. He could barely stand to look at his old friend lying on the floor, but he needed to keep things professional for the sake of his job. Yes he was a friend, but he was also a victim with a family that needed answers. 

"And that is?" Remy prompted, dropping the mask in an evidence bag with a grimace. 

"We only have one. You never see a Thalia without Melpomene. Comedy and tragedy- they go together." Logan crouched down next to the body as well, getting on eye level with Remy. 

"So you don't think the murderer’s done." Remy voiced Logan’s unsaid thought with a hushed whisper while handing off the evidence bag to one of the officers. "You think they'll strike again." He stared at Logan for a moment, a rare expression of seriousness crossing his face.

"We won't let them get that far," Logan said decisively. But the conviction in his words didn't match the way he faltered as he glanced back at Thomas' dead body, then abruptly stood up and shoved himself out the door, leaving as quickly as he'd arrived. 

Thomas Sanders was dead, and an hour later, Remy had pulled himself out of the investigation and into Logan's car, ducking the crowd of reporters that had pulled in while Logan and Remy were inside. Logan was staring dead-eyed out the windshield, the coffee Remy had gotten for him untouched beside him. 

"Hey." Remy stared at Logan, waiting for him to acknowledge him in any way. When he didn't, Remy continued on. "Did you know that guy in there?" Logan’s hands gripped the wheel, starting the car and backing out with a pinched expression on his face. 

"He was just an acquaintance," Logan lied. He'd known Thomas well; he had met him after a performance his date at the time had starred in alongside him, and Thomas and Logan had remained good friends even after the pair eventually broke up. Hell, it had been less than a month ago that Logan had let Thomas drag him to a gay nightclub to celebrate Thomas landing a lead role. _ This _ lead role. The one he'd been performing hours before his death. 

"Acquaintances? You don't leave a crime scene and sit in the car for an hour over an acquaintance, Logan," Remy pressed, shoving his sunglasses down over his eyes when the sun shone through the window and struck him in the face. Logan remained silent, his eyes stuck on the road like if he let them drift for a second he'd be back in the theater.

Thomas Sanders was dead. 

Thomas Sanders was _ dead. _

_ Thomas Sanders was dead _.

And if Logan was right, he wouldn't be alone for long… 


	2. Familiar faces

"Hey hey hey, slow down, babe," Remy hissed, shoving his arm in front of Logan on instinct. "Look, I get it- you and this dude were totally in love or some shit, but that's no excuse to kill us both, and probably a pedestrian, before we even catch the guy."

Logan pursed his lips, tightening his grip on the wheel before slowing down almost grudgingly. 

"We weren't. Lovers," he bit out, never letting his eyes leave the road. He made a sharp turn into the parking lot, jolting them both and spilling some of Remy's frappe onto his prized leather jacket. Logan continued to speak in that clipped tone, cutting off Remy's indignant hiss. "We weren't even friends. I barely knew him. Don't make assumptions based on fabricated evidence, you're a detective and you should know better." Logan parked the car and ripped the keys out of the ignition. 

"Shit man, I'm sor-" Logan slammed the door, cutting him off before he could finish. Remy laid back in his seat and took a deep breath.  _ Yeah _ , Remy decided.  _ They definitely banged _ .

He had expected for Logan to at least wait for him outside the police department, but he was sorely disappointed. "Logan- Logan, will you hold up for like two seconds, jesus fuck!" Remy panted, running after the man storming through the office straight to the interrogation room. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"I'm fine, Remington. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a suspect to interrogate," Logan deadpanned, trying too hard to keep his face straight as he continued walking.

"Oh,  _ Remington? _ I must really be in trouble now, huh," he mumbled to himself, stepping into Logan's office to clean the coffee off his jacket.

When Logan opened the door to the interrogation room, he had been expecting a lot of things. None of them had been a familiar face crying into his hands. 

"Roman?" Logan asked hesitantly, shutting the door softly behind him. Roman's head shot up, and Logan got a clear view of how wrecked he looked. His mascara was smeared all down his face, making him look more like Logan's roommate than the dashing young man he'd been over a year ago when they last saw each other. His hair usually artfully tousled was a mess, and his forest green eyes were sad and tired. 

"Logan!" Roman smiled through the tears, wiping at his nose in an attempt to clean off the snot threatening to drag down his face. "Shit, it's good to see you," he smiled weakly.

"You as well…" Logan mumbled, pulling himself out a chair. He already knew it was unprofessional for him to be working the case, and interrogating Roman would only make it worse. But all of his anger and spite seemed to just drain away upon seeing Roman in the cold interrogation room, quietly crying and shivering in his pajamas. 

"I want to make this as easy on you as possible, Roman," Logan started, opening a case file to record any and all things said within the room. "At 6:42 this morning you made a call to the police stating you found the dead body of Thomas F. Sanders on the floor of his dressing room, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Roman nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the table. He was making a clear attempt to hold it together, but Logan could see goosebumps pricking at his skin. It took every ounce of self-restraint for Logan not to offer his jacket to the poor man in "let's avo-cuddle" pajamas. 

"What were you doing at the Star Theater that led to your discovery of Thom-" he cleared his throat- "of the body?" Logan had gone through this routine a million times, but the events of the morning on top of seeing Roman had been more than enough to leave him completely thrown. 

"I was looking for him…" Roman said quietly. "I moved in with him a few days ago, and when he didn't show up last night I went looking for him this morning… He- he wasn't answering his phone, and the theater was unlocked, and I just… wanted to make sure he was o-okay." His voice broke, and he lurched forward in sobs once again. 

Logan frowned and took a deep breath. He wanted to let him cry, or even comfort him, but he needed to continue the investigation. Every moment was valuable.

"At what point did you notice he had gone missing?" Logan pressed on. Roman made an attempt to respond, but Logan couldn't discern his answer through the mess of jumbled sobs. "I'm sorry, will you repeat your answer?"

Logan stayed quiet as Roman gulped down a deep breath as if it would be his last. When he spoke again, he managed to stay coherent, but the effort of it was taking a visible toll on him, and Logan tried to ignore how it tore at something in him. "He said he was gonna be home by ten, so by eleven I started getting nervous. I figured he'd just went out for drinks with the cast or something. When I woke up and he still wasn't home, that's when I got scared…" 

"Are you okay, Roman?" Logan put down the pencil, resisting the urge to reach across the table and rest his hand on Roman's. 

"I'm okay," Roman lied, nodding violently. "We can keep going, let's just… Get this over with." He smiled bleakly at him, and his heart broke. Logan had seen that same smile so many times before, but never like this- weighted down with grief and fresh pain.

He took a deep breath, trying one last time to push down all those icky feelings, but it didn't work. He shot up out of his chair, startling both Roman and himself. 

"I'm sorry but.. I cannot continue with this questioning." Logan began to walk to the door, and suddenly Roman was standing too. 

"Please don't leave, Logan… I'm sorry, I can be professional, I just.. need a familiar face," he pleaded. Logan just shook his head. 

"My partner Detective Remington Murphy will be with you shortly," Logan said after a shuddering breath. "Please stay seated until he arrives." 

"Logan- " But he had already walked out the door, going straight to his office to find Remy. 

"Hey, girl" Remy smiled, not looking up from the case file as he walked in and threw a pack of tissues onto the table. "Lo said you might need these." 

Roman mumbled a thank-you, taking the pack and blowing his nose rather aggressively. 

"I'm gonna try and make this quick and get you out of here as soon as possible, alright sweets?" Roman quickly decided he liked Remy, and made a mental note to grab coffee with him when all this was over. 

"First things first, what is your connection to Thomas Sanders?" Remy started, leaning back and kicking his feet up on the table. Roman also decided Remy wasn't the most  _ professional _ detective in the world. 

"We're best friends, and roommates- well, we  _ were _ roommates, I guess…" 

"Where did you live before?" Remy pushed on. 

"With my fia- my ex-fiance Ethan, Ethan Williams. We all called him Dee." 

"Why'd ya move back?" Remy perked up, like he could sense the drama in the statement. Maybe they were getting off topic but things were also getting good. And hey, maybe it'd distract Roman enough to stop him from finishing the whole tissue box in one session.

"He was getting into some shit he shouldn't have… I needed out." Almost unconsciously, he added: "He wasn't happy about that."

Remy made a mental note of that.  _ Right, shady boyfriend, got it, _ he nodded to himself. As he did, his gaze flicked back down to the case file in front of him. "Alright shit, back on topic- do you know anyone who would want to hurt this dude?" Remy asked it casually, far too casually for talking about an actual dead human. 

"God no… Thomas was one of the nicest guys I knew." Roman smiled sadly. "Everyone loved him. He was a regular Prince Charming." Remy nodded and tried to imagine someone who would want to kill this seeming angel of a guy. 

By the end of the hour, they had gone through all the questions they did (and didn't) need to ask. Remy held open the door for Roman as he left the room, but Roman ended up falling into step behind Remy as he walked Roman out of the station.

They passed by Logan's office on the way, where Logan was waiting right outside the door. Roman stopped dead in his tracks, letting Remy continue walking ahead of him without noticing.

"Hey Logan- er… Detective Gray?" Roman tried. "Do you think we could meet up after work? Not related to the case, but uh.. I just really need a familiar face." He shifted his weight on his feet, wondering for a second if Logan even heard him before Logan looked up from where his eyes were glued to the floor. 

"I don't know if that would be professional," he tried, and Roman could hear the hope in his voice. Logan wanted to say yes, he could tell. The real question was- which did he care about more? Roman, or his job?'

"Well then, fuck being professional" Roman chuckled sadly. "We're not meeting about the case, we're meeting as… friends. As friends." He caught himself. "Think about it. You know my number." And with that, Roman left, his bare feet slapping the cold tiles as Logan looked on behind him. 


	3. 2 buttons

"Dada!" Logan could hear Patton's protest from the other room, which was quickly followed by the sound of unsteady footsteps that grew louder and louder until his one-year-old had run straight into his legs. He finished buttoning up his shirt before leaning down and lifting the child into his arms. Logan was the last person on earth you'd expect to want a child, and in a way he didn't. Or at least, he hadn't, not at first. About 16 months ago, his best friend had died giving birth to Patton, and all hopes of becoming "Uncle Logan" were thrown out the window and replaced with "dada".

His roommate Virgil walked in the room after the child, a small grin on his face. "The lil rugrat keeps getting away from me!" he laughed, sitting on Logan's bed. "I don't think he wants you to leave." Logan bounced the baby on his hip before handing him down to Virgil, earning a soft "nooo" from the child. 

"Thank you for watching him Virgil, I really can't tell you how much you're helping me." Logan shifted his attention back to Patton and smiled, poking his nose lightly. "Dada's gonna be gone for a while, okay?" The baby shook his head furiously, pouting before stretching out his arms and making grabby hands. Powerless to resist that face, Logan picked him up and began to bounce him again. 

"Pattttonnn," he sing-songed. "I gotta go, baby, or else I'll be late." He smiled at the boy clutching his shirt while trying to discreetly check his watch to see how long he had till he needed to leave. "Go to Uncle Vee now, okay?" Despite having lived with Virgil as long as he had lived with Logan, Patton had never really latched on to him the way he had Logan, deeming "Uncle Vee" as tolerable but not preferred- probably because of Virgil's piercings, tattoos, loud music, and overall gloomy vibe. 

Logan slowly pulled Patton off his shirt and placed him back in the arms of his roommate and friend. 

"Fix your hair before you go out," Virgil commented, standing up with the baby and tossing Logan's hair around with his hand. Logan looked in the mirror to see a "messy on purpose" look much more suited to Remy than him. 

"What was wrong with how I had it before?" he asked, flinching and covering his glasses when Virgil brought the hairspray to his hair.

"Too neat. If you really want this dude to like you, ya gotta loosen up." Virgil winked at him before unbuttoning the top two buttons of his dark navy shirt.

"This isn't a  _ date, _ Virgil, this is a meeting between two friends to discuss the loss of… an acquaintance," Logan sniffed, but the shirt remained the way it was.

Patton let out a big yawn, arching his body before settling into Virgil's side. He seemed to have resigned himself to his fate and decided now was a perfect time for a nap. Virgil effortlessly adjusted his hold on him before quirking a pierced eyebrow at Logan. "Oh really? Your ex-boyfriend strolls into your life after you lose your mutual best friend, and now you're meeting up for the first time since the breakup." Virgil walked to the corner of Logan's room where Patton's small baby bed was set up, laying him down gently. "I've seen enough  _ telenovelas _ to know that this will end with a makeout session in the rain." 

Logan rolled his eyes before stuffing his wallet and phone in his back pocket. He leaned down and kissed Patton's head softly, whispering a soft "love you" to the sleeping baby before making his way to the door. 

"Be home by 10!" Virgil called playfully, careful to make sure not to wake up the baby. 

"I am not a child, Virgil, I do not require a curfew," he joked, smiling back at his friend. He walked out the door and softly clicked it closed as he made his way down his apartment's hallway. 

"Is!"

"Isn't!"

"Is!!"

"ISN'T!"

" _ IS!" _ Remus shouted over Roman, laughing loudly before kicking his legs out, only to be silenced to a pillow to the face. 

"It. Isn't. A. Date!" Roman punctuated each syllable with another whack of the pillow, earning himself a kick in the gut. Amazing how even after twenty years they acted like they did when they were five. 

Remus kicked Roman again, shoving him into the floor and also probably leaving a considerable bruise. 

"Jesus fuck," Roman groaned, "do you always have to play so rough?" He lifted his shirt to observe the red mark on his stomach, flinching as he prodded at it. 

Roman ignored Remus' whiny "It's not my fault! You were trying to kill me!" and pulled himself up, picking through the mess on the floor to look through Remus' closet for anything he could pass off as acceptable fashion. Unfortunately, his twin's taste in clothing was… very different from his own, to say the least.

It had been three days since he and Logan had agreed to meet up, three days since Thomas has been murdered, three days since he'd last returned to his and Thomas' house. It hurt too much to go back now- he needed time. 

"Why the hell is everything you wear straight out of a clown's formal wear catalog?" Roman sneered, holding up a neon green polka-dotted suit jacket before dropping it in the trash can. Really, it was a wonder anything was hung up at all, considering the state of the house Remus was currently infesting. 

"Shut up and take what you can get!" Remus snapped, coming up and scanning the closet beside his brother. He reached in and yanked out a black pencil skirt before shoving it into Roman's hands. "There, that'll get you some detective D," he leered, wiggling his eyebrows. It took every ounce of self-restraint Roman had to not fucking deck the man in the face.

"I had  _ planned _ on wearing pants," Roman scowled, thinking of how cold the walk back home could get, but he folded the skirt over his arm nonetheless. After some more bickering and insults, Remus managed to dig up a plain red short-sleeved button-up for him from the bottom of his drawers. 

"Do you have any makeup?" Roman called from the bathroom, frantically smoothing out his shirt from where it was tucked into his skirt, trying to keep it from leaving any weird bumps or wrinkles.

"Why the fuck would I have makeup?!" Remus yelled back. ‘ _ Probably for the best,’ _ Roman decided. ‘Spending _ another minute in this bathroom might be hazardous to my health _ .’ 

"I don't know," Roman complained, stepping out of the bathroom and pulling on a pair of Remus' shoes. "You paint your nails and own a fucking pencil skirt, it doesn't exactly seem like you've fallen victim to toxic masculinity." He very maturely stuck his tongue out at Remus as he took out his phone to check the time. He glanced down, and then again with disbelief.  _ Shit. _ He'd spent way too much time bickering with his brother, and now he was running late. 

"If I'm not back by midnight, don't come looking for me," Roman winked. It was an old joke- they used to say that to each other every time they snuck out of the house for a date or to hang out with friends. 

"Aha! So you admit it's a date!" Remus cheered, leaning forward for effect. Roman simply slammed the door in his face and began his trek to the restaurant. 

The restaurant was bustling. Friday nights were the busiest for all of the restaurants in the area, especially the nice ones. Roman had picked the place, although the reason he would choose such a nice place for a friendly gathering was beyond Logan.

As per usual, Logan had arrived early and seated himself in a booth near the back of the restaurant. Today, however, he was regretting his punctuality for multiple reasons. First of all, the restaurant's dim lighting, supplied by fake candles and an overly gaudy chandelier, called back to other times he had waited on Roman at some fancy restaurant for date night, and the longer he waited, the harder it was to suppress those memories. Second, the more time passed, the more self-conscious Logan got. After seeing all the men in nice suits and ties pass by, he was starting to regret letting Virgil mess up his hair instead of sticking with the neat slicked-back look he wore on a daily basis. 

And third, Logan had been waiting for so long he was beginning to suspect Roman had backed out on him. Just as he was promising himself he'd leave after another five minutes, he saw a man in a red shirt and tight black skirt squeeze his way through the restaurant. 

"Hi, I'm sorry I'm so late!" Roman rushed out. His expression went from apologetic to annoyed in a second as he said, rolling his eyes: "Problems with my brother, he can be a real bitch sometimes."

The explanation startled a laugh out of Logan. Roman's exasperation looked so genuine that Logan couldn't doubt him, and… it was nice to see that Roman hadn't changed after all this time. He waved off Roman's worry, who smiled with relief before sitting down and picking up a menu. "Wine?" 

Roman giggled as Logan pushed him against his car. Okay, so maybe after a bottle of wine it was… more or less a date.

Logan's hands pulled at Roman's shirt, unbuttoning it and pushing his hands under the fabric. It had been so long since they'd kissed like this- far too long since Logan had kissed anyone, really, and Ethan had never used to kiss Roman like  _ this, _ like he was the center of his universe. 

Logan ran his hands over Roman's stomach, accidently pressing on the fresh bruise. Roman winced and pulled away, pushing at Logan's hands.

Logan backed away immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked seriously, brown eyes wide and sparkling down at Roman with concern. Roman chuckled and pulled up his shirt, showing off the now red and blue bruise.

"Remus," he sighed wearily. "You know how he is." He leaned back in and connected his lips to Logan's, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and dragging him down in a much less heated kiss.

"Can we go back to yours?" Roman asked quietly. This was really what he needed after things ended badly with Dee. Even if they could just snuggle like they used to, it'd make everything seem okay again. 

Logan shook his head. "I can't," he winced regretfully. "I have a child now, Ro, and Virgil's still there with us…" He trailed off, fiddling with his glasses. Roman smiled softly and nodded- not pushing, not asking for more. They'd just have to wait. 

"I could give you a ride back to Remus' if you'd like," Logan offered instead. "Making you walk home after, ah,  _ that, _ seems rude." He laughed a little awkwardly, his smile a little strained, but Roman only nodded and pulled open the passenger door he was pushed up against only moments before. 

When Roman returned home just before 1 am, it was to find Remus lying dead on the kitchen floor, a golden mask with a deep frown adorning his face. Just like how he'd found Thomas…


	4. Puzzle peices

Officers swarmed the apartment just as they had swarmed the theater only days before. Roman was now being shoved into the spotlight by the press, and worse, being deemed suspect number one by every detective on the case. Well… almost every detective. 

"Victim showed obvious signs of a struggle," Remy started, and Logan thought back to the bruise on Roman's stomach, the one his fingertips had grazed over not long ago. He should say something. He didn't. "'Valuable' belongings, if you could call them that, are all in place, and his wallet still has cash, plus one expired credit card. It doesn't look like a robbery," Remy drawled on, circling the body like he belonged with the vultures lining up outside. "And based on… this-" he leaned down and lifted the mask off Remus, exposing his features- "it looks like you were right about our murderer." 

Not only was Remus's corpse adorned with a gold theater mask like the one that Thomas had been left with, it seemed a Joker-esque frown had been carved into Remus' features, matching his mask.

"It doesn't make _ sense. _ I mean, an upper class actor from the nice part of town, and an unemployed man from the bad… What's the relation?" Logan voiced his thoughts, trying to push down the sick feeling that arose upon seeing a photo of Remus and Roman as children covered in the splattered blood. 

"Logan, you know the the relation…" Remy said quietly, eyes softening even as his voice hardened. "You really think it's a random coincidence that Roman moved to town and then both of his roommates were found dead _ by Roman?” _ His tone was harsh, but Logan could hear the underlying message. _ You’re not stupid, Logan, don't do this. _ Logan shook his head and stepped out into the hallway.

"Roman was with me all night," he admitted. "He has an alibi."

"Unless he fucking killed this guy and then went out and got you tipsy," Remy argued, but his eyes looked more pleading than accusatory. Logan's stomach twisted, and it took effort not to visibly wince. 

"You didn't see him when he found Remus," Logan said flatly. He had heard the scream all the way from the car. When he ran in, Roman had backed himself into a wall, screaming and crying harder than Logan had ever seen anyone cry. Breathing exercises could only go so far when you were five feet away from a dead body…

Logan had been forced to cover Roman's eyes and drag him out of the place to get him to calm down, and even then he'd shaken like a leaf until the ambulance showed up and he'd been treated for shock. 

"Logan I think you're too close to the case." Remy gently placed a hand on Logan's shoulder, but Logan jerked it away.

"How do you know Roman is a suspect and not a victim?" he snapped. "What evidence do you have that says he murdered these people? People he loved and was close to? Why would he wear Remus' clothing because it was too emotionally taxing to move his clothes out of Thomas' house? Why would he leave the bodies and evidence out lying around instead of disposing of them? This is a direct attack _ towards _ him, not _ by _ him, Remy." Logan was distantly aware his ranting was earning him more than a few confused stares by some of the other officers, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Someone is out there killing people, and you're accusing an innocent victim based on one piece of evidence." Logan walked out of the building, leaving Remy alone at the scene before he could point out that that one piece was all they had.

  


* * *

>   


"Alright, _ first _ of all!" Remy slammed open the door of Logan's office, where Logan had been poring over case files for the past hour. "You don't just _ do _ that, okay? You don't just fuckin leave a scene like that and make me hitch a fuckin _ UBER _ back, okay? Do you know how sketchy that sounded?" Remy slammed his coffee down and threw off his satchel. " _ Hey bitch, come pick me up at this crime scene swarming with investigators, sorry my partner dumped my ass and took the car!" _He demonstrated talking to the driver over his phone before dropping his hands and staring at Logan with his patented "are you fucking kidding me" face. 

"I apologize, Remington," Logan said tiredly. He set down his pen to give the appearance of giving Remy his full attention, but his mind was a hundred miles away.

"Don't fucking 'Remington' me!" was what Logan got for his efforts. He might have been Logan's inferior, but he sure as hell didn't act like it. "Listen, I get it. You're in love with your ex, who could be a _ murderer _ for all we know, and you're super pissed at me for telling you you're being unprofessional for the first time in your life. But that doesn't excuse any of this shit, alright?" Dropping all pretense, Logan dropped his head onto the desk, ready for Remy to shut up and get out of his office. 

"People. Are. Fucking. _ Dying. _ Logan," he growled, voice getting louder with each word. "So how bout you _ get _ off your ass and _ get _ your shit together!"

There was a beat of silence.

"Okay that's it, I'm done, end of rant." Remy dropped into the chair, going from furious to calm so suddenly it felt like he'd flipped a switch 

"Are you finished?" Logan deadpanned, rubbing his temple. Remy sucked on his straw, nodding silently and kicking his legs up in Logan's desk. Logan took a deep breath, straightening up and picking up his pen again. "Good. Now can we get to work?" 

* * *

  
  


When Logan picked up Patton from daycare, it took everything in his power not to start sobbing. His baby was here, safe in his arms and _ alive _ . His profession wasn't one that exactly supported having kids, and it definitely wasn't one that made it easy to drop off his kid to a stranger and say _ "here, watch this while I'm gone." _

Patton, for his part, didn't notice anything was wrong at first and just enjoyed the extra snuggle time with his dad. Instead of laying Patton down in the baby bed like he usually did for nap time at home, Logan had set him down in his own bed next to him, just wanting to hold Patton as close as possible. 

"Dada?" Patton didn't know many words, but he knew that one well, and it was Logan's favorite. Despite everything, he smiled on reflex, but his expression turned to one of alarm when Patton's bottom lip started to quiver. Patton pressed his little hands into Logan's cheeks, and with a start, Logan realized he'd been crying.

"No- I'm alright, Patton, Dada's alright, please don't cry," he shushed. He sat up slightly and bouncing Patton on his lap in an attempt to calm him down. When Patton's face began to screw up, he said again, slightly more desperately, "Shhh, look, Dada's fine-" But Patton wasn't stupid. He began to wail loudly, upset not only that he missing nap time but that his dad was crying. 

"Is everything okay in here?" Virgil asked, poking his head into the bedroom at the commotion. He was met with the sight of a bawling Patton and a completely overwhelmed Logan looking like he was heading the same way. Virgil wasted no time in walking in and taking Patton from Logan.

"You need a _ break, _ man," Virgil said over the crying. His eyes lit up as he was struck by an idea. "Hey, why don't you call your brother? Patton loves that doctor dude."

Logan shoved his head in his hands, trying to keep his breathing even. For a second he wanted to insist he was fine, he could handle this- but then he flinched when Patton's cries got even louder, and he could only sigh and nod. 

  


Doctor Emile Picani had always loved children. He’d always wanted kids of his own, but the one man he loved more than anything had passed away right after their second anniversary. Emile still wore his ring. So when his phone rang and he was met with his brother practically begging him to take Patton for a few days, he was more than happy to oblige. He was at the house the very next day to take Patton away for him.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Logan sighed, handing over the baby to Emile. Patton bounced and smiled at him, happily wrapping his arms around him the best he could. The night before, Logan had sat down Patton and explained he'd be going to have a playdate with Uncle Emile for a few days. He wasn't entirely certain Patton had understood any of it, but he looked happy enough in his uncle's arms.

Logan gave Patton a small kiss on the forehead before Emile left, straightening out his bright yellow sunflower dress in Emile's hands. (Patton had picked it out himself in the store, and who was Logan to say no to him?)

"Bye bye!" Patton waved enthusiastically, smiling at Logan as he got strapped into his carseat. 

"I love you, Patton," he smiled back, trying to pull up genuine cheer for him. He knew that sending Patton away for a day or two would be good for Logan, would let him grieve and mourn in private, but god was it hard sending his baby away. 

Virgil was waiting for him when he dragged himself away from the car and back into the apartment. 

"How ya holdin' up?" he asked gently, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Logan collapsed forward into his shoulder, despite the considerable height difference. It was sloppy and unprofessional, but it was also long overdue.

"Hey, hey, hey- dude, it's okay," Virgil tried, running a hand through Logan's hair. Logan's glasses were stabbing at Virgil's shoulder through his pajama shirt, and Logan had to be uncomfortable too. But Virgil wasn't going to mention that now. He just stayed standing as his friend heaved and sobbed, clutching at his shirt and desperately looking for comfort.

It was in moments like these that Virgil remembered Logan really was still just a kid. He might be a detective and act all mature and have a kid, but he was still just twenty-seven. He didn't really have his life together yet- because who the hell _ did _ in their twenties? And he had just lost his best friend, and now was the first time he'd let himself honestly cry. 

"Logan, it's okay," Virgil tried again when Logan's sobs had quieted to sniffles. But he only got a soft "Is it?" in return. 


	5. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We got some pretty graphic imagery in here.. Be careful

"Where do we go from here?" Remy muttered-  _ here _ being a total dead end. For what felt like the hundredth time, he scanned over everything pinned up on Logan's walls. The whole thing looked a lot more like something you'd see on TV than how they usually did things, but Logan was always one for more old-school methods. Remy was fairly sure that when he’d started on the job, he'd been hoping to be much more of a black and white film noir detective than he'd turned out to be. 

No matter how many times they'd looked over Logan's notes, the end result was nothing. Neither location had security cameras, and there was no DNA, no fingerprints, no footprints, and no witnesses. All they had was a mask, and Roman.    
And what little they  _ did _ have didn't make any  _ sense. _ The murders seemed frantic and uncalculated, resembling crimes of passion rather than stone cold murders. And yet the killer never left a trace, implying they had planned every detail.

"Alright, alright," Logan groaned, throwing himself into his chair and rubbing his temples. "Let's do this again. So our timeline is…?" he trailed off. Remy scowled at Logan's expectant look, but he heaved an aggravated sigh and laid out the case for the umpteenth time. 

"So, for the hundred and first time! At 5 o’ clock Monday afternoon, Thomas Sanders arrived at the Star Theater." Remy pointed to the very start of the board. "His performance ended at 8:25, and cast members can recall seeing him in the theater until around 9:30." He stopped to grab a sip of his drink before pushing forward. "He never returned home that night, and at 6:42, Tuesday morning, his roommate Roman Cardona Rodriguez-" Logan glared as Remy exaggeratedly rolled the "R's"- "had called in a dead body wearing a theater masks he'd found in dressing room number three, time of death  _ unknown." _ Remy sighed, pushing his sunglasses on top of his head. No matter how many times he went over it, nothing cleared up.

"Three days later at around 7 o’clock, Roman left Remus Rodriguez’ home, claiming he was still alive when he left. You two had a makeout session in the parking lot, and at 12:56 am you and Roman discovered a dead body, also wearing a mask. Obvious signs of struggle, and as you said, Roman was found with a fresh bruise he claims was also from Remus. Is that enough for you, Specs, or will I need to do it a hundred and second time?" 

Logan ignored him, mind racing a million miles per hour. "And the only connection is… Roman…" he mumbled to himself, throwing his head forward onto the desk and groaning. "Well, since we know it's  _ not _ Roman-" Remy cut him an exasperated glare but didn't say anything- "the murderer has to be someone who knows him. Did he state why he moved back?" 

Remy picked up a file and skimmed through it. "The official statement is he broke up with his fiance." Logan jumped so hard Remy could hear his knees bang against the desk. "Off-record, he stated that his man was getting into some sketchy bullshit that he didn't want to be a part of." In all honesty, most of Remy's investigations were off the record. He found that connecting to a suspect like a human got him way more information than Logan's methods, even if they weren't exactly as professional. Or legal. 

"His fiance…" For a second Logan didn't say anything else, trying to avoid showing how much his heart stung at the words. But as if struck by lightning, he suddenly sat up in his seat. "That's a motive… Remy, that's our first lead!" Logan exclaimed. "An angry ex-fiance who wants to make Roman's life a living hell by killing off everyone he loves!"

He leapt into action, scribbling in his notebook before moving to type frantically on his computer, but Remy's reaction to the possible lead was unusually subdued.

"That's not good," Remy said quietly. Sometimes pushing puzzle pieces together meant revealing a much darker picture than you'd expected. 

"What do you mean? Of course it's good! We have a suspect- now all we have to do is find out who this guy is and pull him in for questioning," Logan smiled, but the expression dropped off his face when Remy continued.

"No, you idiot. I mean if this dude's killing everyone Roman loves, doesn't that make you a target?" Logan froze. "Roman left this guy for you, doesn't that put you on his hit list?" 

_ Shit. _

  
  


Virgil got home at exactly 5:30 pm every single day. Routines eased his anxiety, so he had settled into one. He got off work at 5, reached home by 5:30, and changed into his pajamas by 5:33. 

The door was unlocked when he came home, and that was the first sign his routine would be broken today. 

"Logan?" he called, setting his bag down where he always did and continuing through the house. Logan's bedroom door was standing wide open, but the lights were off. Logan  _ never _ left without closing his door. "Logan? Dude?" No response. 

Virgil was no stranger to anxiety, but something about this felt different. Something in the air was making it feel like all of the blood was being drained out of his body, making his hands shake at his sides and a pit form in his stomach.

He stepped into the bedroom, trying to tell himself he'd just been watching too many Buzzfeed Unsolved videos. That he was just being paranoid and making up ridiculous theories. That an unlocked door didn't mean he was in trouble. 

Virgil switched on the lights, jerking his head around to look for a demon or intruder, anything. 

There was nothing.  _ See? Paranoi- _

A gloved hand suddenly clawed its way over his mouth, a knife to his throat. He needed to scream _ , he needed to scream, _ and nothing was coming out. 

Fight-

or flight-

or _ freeze. _

But… the man wasn’t doing anything. There was a second where the loudest sound was Virgil’s heartbeat in his ears, and then the man spoke.

“You’re not Logan.” The words were clipped, cool, but there was an edge to them as sharp as the knife at Virgil’s throat. The man stayed still behind him, steady against Virgil’s increasingly fast breaths. Was this a mugging? Was this how muggings were supposed to go? Did robbers usually know the names of the people they were stealing from? Did they hold knives to people’s necks and then just stand there?

“Who are you?”

Virgil couldn't say anything. All of the words in his head were swamped together, getting caught in his throat and leaving him unable to make anything but a choked noise in reply.

"Answer. Me,” he growled low into his ear, tightening his grip on Virgil so hard he almost wondered if he was going to crack a bone before Virgil could say anything...

"V- Virgil." The name sounded wrong on his own tongue, like everything in his body was telling him not to say a word.

The man pulled him against his chest, walking slowly with him over to the bed.

"Hello,  _ Virgil." _ He drawled out the name, testing how it sounded. Virgil still couldn't see his face, but he could hear the smirk in his voice. "Come on, Virgil, be nice, say hello back to me!" He pressed the knife a little harder before he moving his hand down to let Virgil speak. 

"H- hi…" he forced out, breathing hard. The guy smelled like he'd been drinking and like he used too much cologne. Tears started to run down his face, and Virgil thanked all the gods he didn't believe in that Logan and Patton were out of the house. 

"Is this where good old Detective Logan lives?" the man asked, far too casually for the fact that he was holding Virgil at knifepoint. Mindful of the knife at his throat, Virgil shook his head no. If he couldn't save himself, he could at least give Logan a chance.

The man pulled his hair back, pressing the knife against his neck harder until it began to draw blood. "WRONG ANSWER!" he shrieked. "Would you like to try lying to me again?" 

Virgil desperately tried to shake his head without slitting his own throat, barely containing a plea for the man to just _ stop. _

"Good boy!" he smiled, voice suddenly back to smooth and casual. The pressure against Virgil's neck eased, but the man's hand kept him in place. "Now… Does. Detective. Logan. Live. Here," he growled into his ear. Virgil nodded, all thoughts of bravery from before escaping his mind as he began to cry harder. He felt like he was going to puke, and he was barely getting in enough air. But despite all that, he did his best to stay quiet for the man with the knife.

"Even though you're a lying little  _ bitch," _ he snarled, running a hand through Virgil's hair and making him tremble even harder, "I think I like you. So let's make this as painless as possible, hmm?" He reached into his bag, pulling out something Virgil couldn't see. For a split second, Virgil wondered what it could be, but he got his answer soon enough.

The man leaned in slowly, and it took everything in Virgil not to pull away from the sensation of his breath against his neck. He kissed the spot slowly, holding Virgil’s trembling body against his like he wanted to draw this out as long as possible. 

The man paused as he pulled back. He looked with satisfaction at the spot he had kissed, now slightly red but not bad enough to bruise- and used it as a target, plunging a syringe deep into Virgil's neck. 

Virgil cried out in pain, sobs shuddering through his body. It only took a moment before he realized he couldn't blink, couldn't even move his eyes. And then the numbness spread- first to his fingers, then his arms and legs, until it was clear the only thing keeping him in a sitting position was the hand at his back. And- god, was his throat closing up?

The man behind him shushed him softly. "There you go,  _ Virgil,  _ it's okay _ - _ all done, see?" he soothed, pulling out the needle and putting it back in his bag. The way he was speaking was horribly reminiscent of how Logan would hush Patton when giving him medicine or changing a diaper. 

The man laid him down on the bed, gently running a hand through his hair, and through the black spots beginning to crowd the edges of his vision, Virgil finally got a good look at his face. Green eyes, crooked nose- the kind you'd get if you've had it broken a few times- and a bright red scar across one side of his face. There was no crazy thrill or adrenaline behind his eyes like Virgil might have expected. In fact, he looked perfectly calm.

That was somehow worse.

The man smiled down at him, clearly reveling in his panic. "Y'know, at first I came here for my good friend Detective Grey," he said, getting up and monologuing like an honest-to-god Disney villain. God, Virgil couldn't breathe, he couldn't  _ breathe- _ "But then you came in. I didn't expect lil ol Logan to have a  _ roommate!" _ He strolled up to the dresser, where a framed picture of Logan holding Patton was proudly displayed.

"Or two, based on the decor…" He looked around, taking in the baby toys strewn across the floor, how half of Logan's room had been transformed into a nursery. He popped the picture out of the frame, folding it up and shoving it in his pocket. "I think I'd like to play with him a bit more… You gave me an idea, _ Virgil! _ I'm so proud!" Virgil's chest was  _ burning, _ and he'd long since lost control of his body. But he was still  _ awake, _ he was still  _ aware, _ why couldn't this nightmare  _ end- _

The man began rummaging in his bag, and for a moment Virgil hopped it was a gun to finish him off. But instead he pulled out a bright gold mask with an eerie smile carved in.

"Why do you look so sad?!" he cooed, placing the mask on top of Virgil's face right as the black overtook his vision. 

_ "Smile." _


	6. Blood and tears

"Logan? Logan, slow down- what are you saying?" Emile had just put Patton to bed after a long day of playing in the park, eating more ice cream than Logan probably would've allowed, and binging cartoons. As long as you kept Patton nearly constantly busy, he wouldn't cry for his dada too often, and overall it seemed like he was having fun. He knew Logan took being separated from Patton about as well as Patton did, so he hadn’t been surprised from the call that came almost as soon as Patton had gone to sleep. He’d expected for Logan to immediately ask about how Patton was doing when he picked up, but instead he'd been greeted with nearly incoherent panic from his brother.  
"Logan- Logan, you're scaring me," he cut in, knowing it would get Logan to stop speaking. "Deep breaths, and when you can talk, start again,” he said firmly, not giving him a chance to try to continue. He heard an audible gulp of air over the line. Emile could instinctively tell Logan was still panicking, but there was barely a pause as Logan started to talk again.  
"Virgil," Logan choked out "He- he's been murdered, I… I need you to keep Patton for a while longer." He forcefully kept his breathing as steadily as he could, hands shaking. He was standing in the hallway to his apartment, trying to rationalize what he’d seen there.  
At first he’d almost thought it was some sick prank, simply because Virgil didn't look like the others did. The first two victims had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest, the crime scenes left a blood-splattered, sickening sight. But Virgil would seem to be merely asleep if it weren’t for the blood trickling from his throat onto Logan's pillow. It wasn't until he had checked for Virgil’s pulse for the fourth time and found nothing there he’d believed he was gone. Touching a body before pictures were taken and a medical examiner was in sight was a big no-no, but he didn't care about any of that.   
"Murdered?" Picani gasped, stepping into his own room away from Patton resting on the couch. "Logan, are you okay?”  
Logan rarely took deaths this hard- he had become desensitized after seeing so much of it in his profession. And yet these three murders had stripped away his usual professional sense of detachment from him. Like they hit too close to home to keep a straight face.  
Logan sunk to the ground, voice shuddering. "Emile, what would've happened if you didn't take Patton away? What if he was in the house, or if I picked him up from daycare before I came home?" He was rambling now, clutching the phone with both hands to keep it steady. A police officer walked by, and Logan kept his eyes on the ground.  
"That didn't happen, Logan. He's safe, he's here with me," Emile said softly. He had known Virgil well, but now wasn't the time to break down in front of his little brother.  
"Will you check?" Logan whispered. It was irrational, he knew that Emile would never lie to him and that his kid was safe and sound, but…  
Emile paused for a second before softening. "Of course I will, Logan," he whispered, strolling into the living room and looking at the sleeping child snuggling a Tweety Bird plushie nearly as big as he was on Logan’s spare crib. "He's safe, Logan. Everything's going to be fine."   
Logan wanted to say "no it's not," he wanted to say "I haven't heard from Roman in two days and I don't know if he's safe," he wanted to say his life was rapidly dissolving into a bloodbath of innocent lives who had nothing to do with any of the pain and suffering this murderer was causing. But he just stayed silent, sniffling and trying to keep his breathing even.  
"I know," he said finally, nodding despite knowing Emile couldn't see him. Remy stuck his head out into the hallway, motioning for him to come in the room before popping back through the doorway. "Emile, I need to go… Tell Patton I love him when he gets up, okay?" 

It wasn't that Roman didn't want to return any of Logan's calls, it was that he couldn't. Successively losing his friend and then his brother, so quickly and in such a gruesome way to boot, had left him practically incapable of leaving bed. He had rented a room in some shitty hotel to avoid having to move in with anyone again, although with his luck whoever the murderer was would just burn down the entire fucking hotel after locking all the doors.  
Roman couldn't stop feeling like it was all his fault, and he guessed it was in a way. Someone was after him. He only wished that they'd just kill him and be done with it, not grossly terrorize his friends and family.   
He wished Logan was here. He knew he'd come if he was asked, but he didn't want to make him a target… Roman wished things were back like they used to be. The days when he was the only person who could get Logan to dance around the bedroom in boxers and a t-shirt, music from his phone blaring some slow song Logan didn't recognize. The days he'd sleep over at Logan's and laugh off the glares from his roommate about their lack of shirts. He missed the times like snowball fights outside the apartment and how the snow would get stuck in Logan’s hair and complement the flush on his face.  
Roman missed the days before the young man with a scar on his face had tempted him away with the promise of money and love and the perfect life, before Ethan had convinced Roman to leave Logan for him. He'd phrased it like forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet, when really all it was was the biggest mistake of his life.   
He'd tried, he really had, to make it work with Dee. He'd accepted his early proposal. He'd done everything he once did with Logan with Dee and ignored the ache in his heart. Ignored the blackmailing and threats Dee would spit any time he so much as thought about Logan. Ignored how Dee had told Roman to quit his job, to stop talking his to friends, to focus on him and him alone…   
His phone buzzed again. It was probably another message from Logan asking where he was.  
He pulled himself up by the headboard and grabbed the half-empty water bottle on the nightstand, chugging it all and tossing it on the floor. He glanced over at his phone just in time to see 3 new messages flashing before fading into darkness. 

Logan: Where are you? How are you feeling after all of this? I know this must be hard on you.   
Logan: Roman? I would appreciate a response soon. Now is not the time to be "playing hard to get," as Remy says.  
Logan: Roman, although a text might not be the best way to figuratively "break the news," it seems my roomate Virgil has become the next victim… Please call me when you are able.

Roman felt his bottom lip begin to tremble. Even locking himself away from everyone wouldn't keep them safe. He felt like his entire chest was caving in on himself, that awful feeling of being so anxious and scared he needed to puke rising in his stomach and chest.   
He dropped his phone and ran to the bathroom, nearly bruising his knees as he collapsed in front of the toilet. But the nausea would only come back stronger when Roman saw the next messages he'd just received.  
Dee😘😘: *sent a photo*   
Dee😘😘: uh oh! :(  
When Roman clicked the notifications with trembling fingers, a photo of Roman and Logan kissing against Logan's car would light up his screen, the bad angle and quality unable to hide how Logan's hands were under Roman's shirt and how Roman was pulling Logan's face into his…   
And Roman's stomach would sink, all the pieces slotting together into one, horrible, picture.


	7. Liar liar

The sound of Logan's phone ringing shook him out of the daze he'd been in for hours, sitting on Remy's couch, staring at the yellow walls, and trying to think about anything that wasn't  _ Virgil. _ He considered ignoring it, letting it ring until the caller gave up and left him to sulk alone, but he decided to at least look at the contact. Maybe if they were important enough he'd think about calling them back later.

But when he saw Roman's contact, his earlier numbness was replaced with urgency like a lightning strike. He picked up before he could think twice. 

"Hello?" he rushed out, but even that was immediately cut off. At first all Logan could make out was near-hysterical rambling- but then the words sank in, and so did the horror.

"He did it- Logan, Dee killed them, it was him!" Roman was shaking so badly it was a challenge to keep the phone in his hands. "Dee, he- he sent me a picture of- of the two of us together, he didn't want me to leave him- Logan… I don't know what to  _ do," _ he hiccupped, voice cracking on Logan's name. Logan's previous grief-induced apathy had fled as soon as he had heard the call, but now heart was  _ pounding _ , a lump caught in his chest like he was going to either puke or scream. 

"Roman _ , where. Are. You." _ Logan had always been a serious type, but never like this. Despite how often his line of work put him in danger, the life-or-death part of it had never hit quite this close to home. If his entire world was flooding, Roman was the only one with a lifeboat. 

"God, I don't even know…" Roman muttered to himself, pausing to glance around him and even his breathing. "Some shitty Holiday Inn? I'm not too far from the police station."

Logan had jumped into action the second he heard Roman’s voice, frantically pulling on his shoes and throwing on one of Remy's jackets that was hanging by the door as he stormed out of the house. "Roman, I need you to meet me at the station." He heard Roman sniffle and whisper a soft agreement, followed by the sound of movement. "And Ro?" The shuffling stopped.

"I love you… and we're going to get through this, okay?" It was easier to lie to Roman than it was to lie to himself. And it was easier to tell Roman the truth about loving him than it was to pretend that he was over him. Things were just easier with Roman…  _ Everything _ was easier with Roman. 

"I love you too," Roman whispered, but it came out choked and broken, like it was all he could do not to cry. "I never  _ stopped  _ loving you, I'm sorry I ever left, if I just stayed with you then none of this would've happened- god, this is all my  _ fault- " _

Logan hushed him, starting his car and pulling out of the driveway without looking. "Everything's going to be alright, okay?” Keeping his voice steady was a challenge, but he needed to be strong, if only for Roman. “I'll see you soon." 

  
  


Roman wouldn't make it to the station. Hell, he barely made it out of his hotel room before a hand pushed him in again. 

And even if he did, _ he wouldn't have wanted to.  _

  
  


Logan went straight to his office when he reached the station, not bothering to greet the few people mulling around. Remy had been promoted to head detective on the case after Logan had dropped out, and Logan knew he’d been working late nights since. He must’ve been in Logan's office for hours now.

"Remy, I have the answer!" Logan began, swinging open the door with the kind of energy more typically associated with his partner than him. Remy didn't react, facing the board Logan had set up for the case. In the back of Logan's mind, it registered as odd that his head was lolling forward instead of leaned back to look up at it.

But that wasn't what made Logan stop dead in his tracks. No, that would be the blood that was absolutely  _ everywhere- _ splattered across the walls, pooling at Remy’s feet-

_ Remy. _

Logan rushed over to look at him, only sparing the briefest glance at the sunglasses on the floor. But suddenly he'd never missed their absence more keenly on Remy's face than the moment when he saw Remy slumped in Logan's chair, quintessential glasses replaced by an all-too familiar mask frowning up at him. 

Through blurring vision and rising nausea, Logan took in the rest of the scene. The board, now covered in red from more than just yarn. The cold air coming in through the open window. Remy's torn baseball tee, so drenched in dark blood that not a speck of the original white and black fabric remained visible. The coffee cup, contents long gone cold, that somehow lay untouched on his desk. The missing picture of him and Patton on the desk, creased down the middle and scribbled on. 

In red marker were two crudely drawn masks covering Logan's and Patton's faces.

Logan felt his whole world come crashing down. He had been holding on to Remy's stability through all of this, and now that was  _ gone _ .  _ Remy _ was gone…

Remy Murphy was dead. 

Remy Murphy was  _ dead _

_ Remy Murphy _ was  _ dead.  _

_ And Logan screamed. _

  
  
  
  


"Hello,  _ Roman _ ~" Ethan sing-songed. "Where do you think  _ you're _ going?" He smiled, sweet as poisoned honey, walking forward and forcing Roman to back up until his legs hit the bed. Roman scrambled away from his touch until he was against the headrest, but Dee simply leaned over him. "How are you, baby? It's been  _ far _ too long since we've chatted." 

"Dee," Roman choked out.  _ "Please  _ don't do this." He let out a violent sob when Dee grabbed his chin and pulled it forward, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Someone's been a little tattletale huh?" Dee smiled. It wasn't anything like his old smile. He'd used to smile like he owned the world. This smile said he was about to destroy it. 

"Gone off telling your little boyfriend about me, huh?" Roman shook his head, gasping and swallowing his sobs in an attempt to keep quiet. 

"LIAR!" Dee shouted, shoving Roman's head into the wall. Ignoring Roman's cry of pain, he continued, "Why is everyone such a dirty fucking  _ liar _ ?! Do you think I'm an idiot?" Roman was openly sobbing now. Dee's face softened, and he pulled Roman into a hug he was too afraid to pull away from.

"I'm sorry, baby, you know I didn't mean it" he cooed, petting Roman's hair right where his head had hit the wall. "Do you forgive me?" On instinct Roman nodded, hands balled into fists in the sheets.

Dee pulled back and kissed Roman's forehead, putting on a fake pout when Roman flinched away. "We're gonna go home now, alright? And we're not gonna run, or yell, or get upset, okay baby?" 

"Or what?" Roman dared to ask, but the question came out too breathless to have any real bite to it. "Or you'll kill me? Do it. End all of this, Dee.  _ I give up _ . Kill me if you want, just  _ stop this," _ he begged. "Kill me. And let them find me with that fucking mask on just like everyone else, but never  _ fucking _ touch another one of my friends or family again." 

Dee stared at him for a moment, and Roman couldn't tell if he was confused or if he was contemplating if it would be worth it.

"Oh no no no, baby." Ethan ran his hands over Roman’s cheeks, gently wiping away his tears. "I love you, that's why I'm doing all this! I just want you to be with me." 

"Then what'll you do?" He clenched his fists tighter. He wanted to pretend it was to put on a show of bravery, but in reality he was trying to keep from shaking too hard, afraid Dee might notice and get angry. 

"Then I'll kill your little love bird! You're such a cheating whore sometimes, baby," Dee crooned, cradling Roman's tear-streaked face, "but you've had your fun now! And now we're going home!"

Roman tried to think back to the first time he met Dee, to remember if there were any signs to any of this when he had let himself get swept away by those initial promises and gifts. Nothing in his memory held any clues to how he would end up here, with three people dead and his soulmate's life on the cutting board. 

"Did you bring anything with you, sweetheart?" Dee’s soft hands petting over Roman’s face contradicted his eyes, alight with something more than poison behind them. Roman shook his head no- all he had on him was his wallet and phone. "Good boy. Now let's go. One hand on me at all times, alright baby?" 

Roman nodded, and held out his hand, trying to ignore the way Dee gripped down too hard, the opposite of Logan's gentle hands leading him to the car after the restaurant only a few days ago.

"One more thing." Dee stopped him as he was getting in the car. "Give me your phone. You don't deserve it anymore."

Roman’s breath seized. Dee had  _ always _ let him have his phone. No matter the scolding and yelling about who he was talking to, the constant searches through Roman’s steadily dwindling messages, the deletion of social media and surrender of passwords, he was still allowed to  _ have _ it. Part of him wanted to protest, to cling to his one link to the outside world- to  _ Logan- _ but he was in no place to make demands.

With shaking fingers reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, a cheap sparkling case barely protecting the shattered screen, the result of being chucked against the wall one too many times in one of Dee's fits of rage. Dee snatched it out of his hands and stuffed it in his pocket before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

There were a million thoughts whirling through Roman's head as Dee drove them to wherever he had been hiding, but for some reason his mind kept circling back to his phone. So small, in the grand scheme of things, but he couldn't help but feel he'd given up more than just that when he'd handed it over.


	8. Because I Love You

_ "Hey there, beautiful~" A handsome stranger in a yellow button up smiled down at him, sliding into the stool at his right. "Can I buy you a drink?" Normally Roman wouldn’t have thought twice about refusing the offer, but the irritation lingering in his chest made him reckless. He traced his eyes over the man’s face, gaze catching on his green eyes. He couldn't tell what it was, but something in them made Roman want to say yes, want to listen to every word he said.  _

… Just one drink can’t hurt,  _ he decided, requesting just a diet coke while raising his eyebrows at the man. He didn't complain, which Roman took as a good sign. _

_ "I'm Ethan, but you can call me Dee," he introduced himself, offering his hand. _

_ "Roman," he said, taking the hand and holding it for a moment longer than necessary. He couldn't help it- those eyes were sucking him in and putting him in a daze.  _

_ "So what are you doing here, Roman?" The way the man- Ethan- said his name made his heart skip a beat. "Looking for anything from tonight?" The way he smirked made it clear he didn't mean any _ thing _ so much as any _ one, _ and he was looking at Roman like he was the most beautiful man in the world. It felt good to be flirted with. Logan sure as hell didn't do that too often.  _

_ Logan…  _

_ "Me and my boyfriend are fighting," Roman chuckled nervously. “I just wanted to have fun for a bit and forget about him." Roman scooted away, suddenly rethinking coming here. He loved Logan, he just… got so frustrated with him sometimes. He'd spent nearly every day at work for the past few months, even his days off. He worked and worked and left no time for Roman. All he wanted was some attention. That wasn't too much to ask, right? _

_ Ethan frowned like Roman had just told him Logan had locked him up in a tower. He leaned forward a little, seemingly unconsciously bridging the space Roman had put between them. The shifting lights of the club shadowed his eyes and threw the scar on his face into sharp relief for a second, making him look… dangerous. "You deserve better." _

_ Roman laughed purely out of shock, a little taken aback by how serious he sounded. He tried to deflect, to take some of the blame off Logan, but Ethan steamrollered right over him. "You look  _ lonely.  _ Don't you want to forget yourself and be someone else for a night? Don't you want to the star of the show for a change?" _

_ Ethan had seen right through Roman- hell, he'd practically read his mind, reaching down into his soul and pulling up wants he couldn't even admit to himself. Roman wanted to move back and put some distance between himself and Ethan- or maybe just the uncomfortable truth- but then Ethan smiled, slow and deadly as any poison. "A guy like you shouldn't be lonely tonight." _

_ Roman’s breath sped up against his will. A hopeful grin crept across his face in a way he hoped didn't look too eager. "Maybe…" He leaned in, maybe a little more than he should. "Could you… could you make that happen?"  _

_ Ethan… no,  _ Dee, _ quirked an eyebrow at him, his smirk deepening to something lethal, and struck the killing blow. _

_ "Anything you want…"  _

And god, Roman wished he could have the excuse that he was drunk that night, to say he wasn't thinking clearly when this man pulled him away into his huge house and made him feel like he was the most precious treasure in his collection. To say he was high or drunk or drugged when he woke up in another man's arms wishing this movie star life could always be his. He wanted to say that he didn't enjoy that night, that he thought of Logan the whole time, that he didn't mean any of it. But he couldn't lie to Logan… Not like that. 

Street lights lit up Dee's face as he drove down the winding streets. He'd been quiet since they'd left the hotel; whether that was good or bad was anyone's guess. Roman sat beside him just as silently, lost in thoughts of the night everything went wrong. The first of many "worst mistakes of his life". Without even realizing it, tears began to slip down his face.

Dee's hand rested on Roman's knee, thumb rubbing in small circles but not moving any farther up his leg like they usually did. He glanced over and put a fake pout on his face, the kind he was so good at. It made Roman sick. 

"Why are you crying, baby?" Roman stayed silent. "We're going home! Don't you wanna go back home with me?" Dee took his eyes off the road to wipe off the tears, and despite being a sweet gesture, Roman could only read it as a threat.  _ Everything _ Dee did now felt like one- he'd never be safe around him again, not after this.

He forced himself to nod his head slightly, sniffing and wiping at his own eyes. He was lying, but he had a feeling saying "no, I want to go back to Logan and I want you to leave me alone forever" would make Dee slam the car into a tree. Dee smiled at him, turning back to the road.

“Why are you doing this, Dee?” Roman asked quietly. He didn't know what he was expecting to hear. Maybe “because I'm evil’ or ”because you’re mine”- something he could understand, something that would make  _ sense, _ at least with Dee’s twisted worldview in mind. What he did not expect was the soft “because I love you” that came from the man, sounding as genuine as it had all those months ago.

_ “Because I love you, Roman,” Dee smiled, cupping his cheeks in his hands, "and I want to marry you." Dee hadn't waited for an answer after proposing- he’d immediately slipped the ring onto Roman’s finger, pulling Roman back in when he stumbled back in surprise. He leaned down and kissed Roman, not caring that he didn't reciprocate, ignoring how Roman tried to squirm out of his grip. _

_ Roman's mind was racing a million miles an hour.  _ Marriage? _ He had been trying to work up the courage to break up with Dee for weeks, and now he thought it was the time for marriage?  _

_ "Don't you think that's a little fast?" Roman tried nervously, putting his hands on Dee's chest in an effort to keep him away without showing it. "I mean- Dee, baby, we've only been dating for a year," he chuckled, trying desperately to keep his voice light. He looked down at the ring. The bright diamond caught the light, a promise of more of this picture-perfect life to come… The sex, money, clothes, attention- all of it was right in front of him. Everything Roman had ever dreamed of, and all he had to do to get it was say yes. _

_ "Do you not want to marry me?" Dee's eyes held something dangerous in them, and Roman read the question for what it was- not a question at all, but a threat. _

_ Roman stared back at him, trying to make his mouth form any words that weren't "of course I do" trying to say that this had gone too far, that he wanted to go home, to see his friends, family, Logan, all the people Dee had made him cut ties with.  _

_ "I'd love to, Ethan," he smiled wearily, standing on his tiptoes to kiss his cheek. _

_ Even at that moment, he’d felt like he’d made a deal with the devil, and every time he looked at that ring he was reminded of the price he paid. _

  
  


"How's your head, baby?" Dee asked. "I have some ibuprofen in the glove box if you need it." Roman wasn't all that willing to take anything Dee offered, but he was reluctantly grateful to hear it- getting slammed into a wall hadn't exactly left him feeling peachy. _It could've been worse,_ _I_ _suppose,_ he thought. _At least he didn't hit hard enough to dent the wall… or my skull._

He reached in the glove box, muttering a meek thank-you as he did. His hand hit against something long and thin wrapped in cloth, and when he peered in to get a better look, he was met with the sight of spots of dark red covering the fabric. He almost jerked his hand out and slammed the glove box shut, and only the knowledge that Dee was watching kept him from doing it. He slowly pulled out the bottle of pills, shaking so badly that he almost couldn’t unscrew the cap.

When his hands finally steadied, Roman took three and popped them into his mouth, wincing as he swallowed. While mumbling out another thanks to be safe, he vaguely made the connection that when Dee had apologised, it was specifically asking for forgiveness, not to make Roman feel better. Had it always been like that? No… He had to have been earnest in the beginning. Roman wouldn't have gone with him if he wasn't. Right? 

"Why are you so quiet, my prince?" Dee cooed, glancing over every few seconds to look at his  _ love _ . His Prince Charming… 

_ "Hey, Prince Charming!" Virgil called, throwing a pillow across the room at the pair. "Back off on the PDA, I have virgin eyes." He dodged the pillow when Logan threw it back at him, laughing. He had started calling Roman that after he’d walked in on Roman serenading Logan with Disney songs in the kitchen, and Roman would be lying if he said he didn't like it. _

_ Roman dropped to a knee, bowing to Virgil with a look of mock regret on his face "Oh King Virgil the Virgin, how will you ever forgive my misdeeds?!" He threw a hand on his forehead, flopping onto his back like a Victorian mistress who’d just gotten a whiff of her vivid green wallpaper. "My only hope is that you continue to let me rule over this humble kingdom under you!" Roman kept his eyes shut tight, trying not to break, but when  _ Logan _ of all people started snickering, he burst out laughing and let the act drop. Virgil was laughing too, they all were, and that was the best thing about them. They were always laughing, everything was fun with them. _

And now Virgil was gone… 

And now he was back with Ethan… 

Now he'd ruined it all.

Roman let his tears fall freely. Sitting beside the murderer of his best friends and his brother, it occurred to him- not for the first time in the relationship- how completely and utterly trapped he was.

"I'm just… thinking about Remus," he whispered, wiping his tears with the top of his shirt. It was only partly a lie; he wasn't just thinking of Remus, he was thinking of everyone. Remus, Virgil, Thomas, Logan- all of them were clawing out of his brain and finding their way down his face. But Remus was family, and hopefully that was someone Dee would allow him to grieve for… 

But Dee didn't look sympathetic. "You didn't need him," he said coldly, pulling into their house- no,  _ his _ house. Roman didn't belong there anymore. "I did you a favor, Roman. Now you can focus on me." Roman must've done something with his face, because Dee's coldness turned right back to sweetness. "Now  _ we _ can focus on  _ us." _

Roman nodded even though he knew that wasn't right, stomach twisting in knots at the reminder that he was the reason people died- that no matter how indirectly, it might as well have been him who’d killed them. That he was only here so Dee wouldn't hurt anyone else

"Remember the rules?" Dee asked, staring down at his passenger before unlocking the doors. The light, casual malice in his voice made Roman think of the knife in the glove box, and he nodded jerkily, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from crying. They'd gone over them three times in the car; they’d been drilled into his brain by now. He thought he’d break down if he had to hear them out loud one more time, but-  _ "Say them,"  _ Dee demanded, and Roman obliged. 

"One hand on you at all times." He started with the easy one, voice strained to the point of breaking to keep from bursting into tears. "If I run, you'll kill Logan. If I scream, you'll kill Logan." His voice was cracking. "If I call for help, you'll kill Logan…" Dee smiled at him, leaning in and kissing Roman sweetly as he unlocked the doors to the place Roman had once called home. Hand on Roman's back, Dee pushed him gently through the house. They walked through the living room, spare bedrooms, the small library, passing everything until they were in the very back. Roman almost lost himself in the haze of familiar scenery for a few minutes, but then-

"Dee? Dee, our room is back there, Dee where are we going?" Roman couldn’t help how his voice pitched up in terror, and his attempts to dig his heels in were to no avail; Dee just shoved him forward more forcefully. He threw open the door to the basement- the one room in this huge house Roman had always been too afraid to go into, the one that  _ locked from the outside _ . 

"I have some business to do, my prince, I'm going to have to leave you here for a bit," Dee said with a fake pout. Nonsensically, almost hysterically, Roman thought that all his expressions were fake- nothing about him was  _ real _ . Not anymore.

"Please don't leave me here, Dee," Roman cried, trying to follow him up the stairs. "Please, I promise I won't leave,  _ Ethan-" _ but the door slammed shut, and the lock clicked behind him.

* * *

One thing that Ethan didn't mention was that no matter how closely Roman followed the rules, no matter how good and obedient he was, Ethan had always planned on killing Logan. Nothing Roman could do or say would've convinced him otherwise. 

Ethan was in love with the  _ idea _ of Roman, in love with having someone beautiful to wake up beside and do everything he said. He loved having his little plaything, and one person was trying to keep that from him. And that just wouldn't do… 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theres been some issues eith the editing process,so ive decided to post the last 2 chapters without anymore editing.

_ "He's so tiny…" Logan laughed lightly, watching as Patton's little hand wrapped around his pinkie, not even closing all the way around it. He tried to pull in his hand to his mouth before Logan tutted and pushed a pacifier in instead. The news that he now had a real human child still hadn’t fully sunk in yet. He was properly accommodated, of course- the apartment was stuffed with cribs, bottles, pacifiers, toys, baby clothes (including Patton’s current light blue onesie dotted with little white cupcakes- which, as a police officer, Logan could say with authority was illegally cute), and diapers galore- but that didn't make it any less terrifying.  _

_ "He looks like a baby doll," Virgil commented, playing with his toes. Patton squealed and drooled around his pacifier. _

_ "He is rather perfect, don't you think?" Logan giggled. A lot had happened in the last few months. Roman had cheated on him, his best friend had died giving birth and he’d had to fight to adopt her child as soon as possible… but now he was here, holding Patton in his home for the first time.  _

_ "Uh oh, is Detective Grey getting all emotional?" he giggled, tickling Patton lightly. "You hear that? Dadda's getting all emotional over you! Your dadda looovesssss yooooou!" he baby talked, punctuating each sentence with a tickle. Patton kicked his little legs the best he could in fits of giggles. _

_ "He loves you so  _ much _ Patton! He's gonna be the best dad in the whole world!" _

_ _

“Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up,” Logan chanted as if it would actually do something as he shot down the road. He had barely had enough time to shout out directions and get his gear before racing down the street like his life depended on it. If Logan had his way, he'd make the forty minute drive in ten or crash trying.

“Yellow?” Emile's typical greeting was as cheerful as ever, despite the obvious grogginess in his voice. That was what he got for being an old man who went to bed at 6 o’clock. 

“Patton- where is he?” Logan demanded, taking a turn a little too fast and sliding off the road for a moment before straightening out, mumbling obscenities under his breath all the while. How many traffic laws was he breaking? What would he do if he came across another car on the road? Did it even matter? 

“He's in the living room- Logan, what's wrong?” he started sounding more conscious, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. “Are you okay?”   
“Go check on him  _ right now," _ Logan ordered, “and don't let him leave your sight until I tell you its safe.” Another car swerved around him, nearly hitting him. Distantly, Emile could hear a horn honking and Logan shouting curses in return. 

“Logan what's happening?” He shuffled on a robe, pulling himself up and towards the door. A quick peek into the living room verified that the toddler was sleeping peacefully on the baby bed Emile had managed to stuff in his car while picking Patton up **.** As if he could sense Emile’s gaze, Patton sputtered a bit before rolling over, the picture of peace. “He's fine, fast asleep, but Logan, are _ you  _ okay?” 

“Go get him. Now. Don't let him out of your sight until I say so, okay?” There was only hesitant silence from the phone. “ _ Okay?!” _

"Okay," Emile whispered back softly. He picked Patton up with shaking hands, shushing him when he started to wake up. But it was to no avail: despite his best efforts, Patton started to cry on the walk back to Emile’s room. "Logan," he pleaded, "just tell me what's going _on."_

Hearing the sound of Patton's voice made him slow down significantly. Getting killed in a car crash would only hurt Patton; besides, if Logan was going to die, that son of a bitch would have to kill him himself. Logan wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of doing it without putting in the work. 

"There's been a threat... I can't come get him until we know the suspect is in police custody." Logan faltered, his attempt at a neutral voice failing, and he had to clear his throat before continuing. "They got Remy… my partner. We have a significant lead, but that's all I can say. This is all going to be over soon." He didn't mention that by "lead" he meant  _ "I know who killed them and I'm currently speeding to his house to either kill him or get killed." _

"What does that mean?" Emile put down Patton on his bed, rubbing his hand through his hair to get him back to sleep. His brother had always told him everything, and him evading the question like this was enough to make him feel as if the world was ending. Logan didn't lie, and he didn't avoid questions. No matter what you asked him, Logan would respond quickly and honestly, even if that answer was  _ I don't know.  _

"Someone’s made a threat on Patton's life," he said quietly, pointedly not vocalizing  _ "and mine as well.'' _ "I need you to double check your doors and windows for me, make sure everything's secure, and call 911 if you hear anything at  _ all, _ okay?" 

The other end was silent as Emile struggled to think of a response.

"Please be safe" he settled on. Logan nodded, mumbling an "I will" before hanging up, grip on the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. 

  
  


_ "Roman?!"  _ Logan screamed. Distantly, Logan wondered what his colleagues would think if they saw him like this, wild-eyed and hoarse from shouting and breaking down doors in a house he didn’t have a permit to enter. He wasn't clearing rooms, he didn't have his gun in his hand; he was just ransacking the place in a blind panic. All of it went against protocol, and right now he couldn’t care less.  _ "Roman, where are you?!" _

His mind jumped back to the text he'd gotten right after he had found Remy’s body. Logan had been standing in his office- the room he worked in nearly every day, defiled by the blood of one of his closest friends- when his phone chimed. He could only stare dully at the words flashing there.  _ 'I can't do this, I'm going home, _ ' they read, and for a second Logan wondered if this was it- if he was going to lose Roman as quickly as he’d gotten him back.

But that hadn’t been Roman. It couldn't have been. Logan wouldn't believe it. And the only thing worse than the idea of Roman leaving was the idea that Roman had left because he was in trouble- that Ethan had gotten to Roman before he could.

Logan froze at the sound of the front door slamming behind him, the noise cutting through even Logan’s shouts. He had known, at the back of his mind, that he was being unforgivably reckless. He had entered Ethan's territory disregarding the fact that he had proven himself more intelligent and capable than any criminal he faced before. But he had still thought that he would get farther than a few rooms into the house before being caught.

And now he was going to die.

"God, this is so  _ fucking _ sad," a voice hissed, the telltale noise of a gun cocking behind him far too close for comfort. "You couldn't just stay put, could you? I was JUST about to go find you, and now I have to worry about fucking blood stains on my white carpet…"

Logan whipped around, only to freeze again at the sight of the barrel of a gun in his face, Ethan behind the trigger. Ethan kicked him in the stomach before he could reach for his gun, knocking him to the floor. Logan wheezed, desperately trying to regain his breath and  _ get back up, _ but Ethan loomed over him, pressing his gun to Logan's forehead. 

Logan braced himself. He'd been a detective for a long time- he knew what was coming next.

But Ethan only made a tutting noise, wagging his finger disapprovingly. "Silly little detective…" he laughed.  _ "If _ you behave, I might just kill you the easy way! Let's not make this harder than it has to be…" He traced the gun down Logan's face, the cold metal gazing his eye and cheek before landing on his lips. "Well, let's see how well you roll over for me. Why don't you give it a kiss, huh?" The look in his eyes  _ dared _ Logan to say no. Like he wanted to see how long he could drag out his little game before either he or Logan snapped.

It would be beyond degrading to kiss the gun that would most likely end him, to look his killer in the eyes when he was on his knees. But between the choice  of humiliation and survival… Logan puckered his lips and lightly kissed the gun. If he could just keep Ethan distracted until backup arrived everything would be okay,  _ it had to be…  _

"Good boy!" The sick feeling in Logan's gut only worsened at Ethan's tone- it was as if he was talking to a dog who had successfully performed a trick rather than a human being he was threatening to murder. "Good boys get  _ treats! _ You know what your treat is?!" He spoke in high trills, happy hisses filled with poison. Logan noticed Dee had scale tattoos crawling up his arm, starting presumably from underneath his yellow glove. "Your treat is a quick and easy death!  _ Do _ try to keep it down, we don't want the noise to scare Roman. " Dee traced the gun around his face again before pressing it against his temple. He pushed Logan's head gently with the gun, moving until his cheek pressed against the wall, and Logan could tell instinctively that this time Dee wouldn’t hold back.

"Wait!" Logan shouted, the refrain  _ keep him distracted, keep him distracted  _ running through his head. "I want to have another… _ treat." _ Over the blood thundering in his ears, a thought reverberated in his head, slamming like a wave against his brain again and again:  _ This is the lowest moment of my life. _

Ethan perked up, happy his little toy was playing his game so easily, but the suspicious glint in his eyes told Logan he didn't have long to talk.

"Let me say goodbye to Roman.." The words ached in his chest. Logan knew he had to play up the pathetic factor to get Ethan to humor him, but they came out too honest and real for him to convince himself it was all for show. Somewhere behind the desperation, it was a legitimate request. 

Ethan hesitated like he was thinking about it, clicking his tongue a few times in thought. "I don't know if you've been  _ that _ good" he said slowly. "I think I'd rather just kill you!" He smiled, and Logan suddenly thought back to the brief personality profile that had been pulled together on him when Roman was deemed a suspect. Everything about Ethan seemed to point to a perfectly friendly, if slightly closed-off, man with a clean record and plenty of friendly acquaintances. Had he really been putting on a show for so long?

_ Putting on a show…  _

He hunched his shoulders and began to cry.

_ "Please," _ he begged, hoping that Ethan would enjoy seeing Logan in pain enough to let the scene last longer. Maybe not long enough for Logan to come out of this alive, but long enough for the cops to arrive, long enough to save Roman… "I know I took him from you-" appealing to him directly- "and I know that you're angry, but please… Just let me see him one last time." 

His shoulders were heaving now, real tears falling to the ground. It wasn't just Roman he was crying about- it was all of them. All of the innocent lives taken simply because they knew the wrong people, caught in a spider web of murders only because they had offered a home to Roman or a helping hand to Logan. He cried for how he had screamed and broke things after finding Virgil in the bedroom until he heard the sirens approaching his apartment. How he'd pulled Roman away from his brother, lying in a pool of red, the one and only time Remus had ever been quiet. How he had said goodbye to Thomas one day and then hadn't visited him again until he had been murdered. How not even an hour before now he had seen his partner, his  _ friend _ , Remy sitting where he did so often, coffee cold on the desk and glasses broken on the floor. How Patton could be next, and by association Emile.

_ And Ethan laughed. _

"Oh, alright!" he giggled, high-pitched and manic. He pushed Logan's chin up with his gun to look at him. "No need to look so _ pathetic, _ little detective! This'll be good for Roman, to see you die." 

Logan moved to stand up, but Ethan leaned down and grabbed his hair, shoving him back down. 

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Ehtan chirped, bringing the gun up to Logan’s forehead again and pressing down. "Be a good little boy and crawl for me?”

Logan froze, his thoughts from before echoing. But he had no way out, and they both knew it. Ethan grinned like a hunter watching their prey walk into a trap. "Come on, let’s go." 

It couldn't have been comfortable for Ethan to pull Logan forward through the whole house, but for the pleasure of humiliating his victim, it was worth it. He dragged Logan all the way to the back of the house until they reached a door so small Logan probably would’ve skipped it while searching for Roman. He flipped open the lock and turned the light on one-handedly before starting down the stairs, allowing Logan to walk while keeping a firm grip on his hair.

_ "Logan?"  _ Roman's voice was scratchy from crying, but it flooded with disbelief, wonder _ , hope- _ until he registered who Logan was with. "Ethan, what are you doing, let him go!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet.

Ethan shoved Logan to his feet, sauntering forward to Roman. "Little Detective Grey here cracked the case, and this is his reward! He wanted to say goodbye to his  _ precious little baby." _ The fake pout in his voice was somehow more disrespectful than anything he'd done so far. Roman's lip trembled heavily, crying despite having no more tears. 

"But I followed the rules!" he pleaded. "I didn't run or yell or call anyone- Ethan, I'm sorry, I'll be good- I followed the rules,  _ please! _ Please, don't hurt him-" He clutched onto Ethan's shirt, shaking enough to match his stuttering, but Ethan just shoved him off forcefully.

"This is for your own good, Roman," he sneered. "You have sixty seconds to say goodbye. Play nice, boys," He let go of Logan's hair and let him lurch for Roman, like a dog being let off their leash.

"Fifty-eight! Fifty-seven!" Roman began to sob as the countdown started, loud and He started counting down loudly, Logan hushed the apologies and sobs from Roman, trying to get him to quieten down for long enough to hatch a plan. 

"Roman, listen to me, he'll be watching my hands. I need you to grab my gun and when I say go I need you to use it," he mumbled quickly in his ear. He was trembling himself despite trying to keep things together for Roman. "It's loaded- all you have to do is pull the trigger, okay?"

"Logan-" he sobbed, hand fighting Logan's as he led it down and on top of the gun. 

"It's gonna be okay, Roman… I love you," he said quietly, in the background he could tell they were running out of time by Dee's counting, his numbers getting faster and more gleeful as he counted down. 

"I love you too," Roman said through sobs, gun fully slid out of the holster and now in his hand. 

"Ready?" Logan asked. Five seconds left…

"3… 2… 1," Logan counted down alongside Dee, jumping out of the way of Roman as he pulled up the gun and pointed it towards Ethan's chest. 

It was as if time slowed down to make a frozen tableau- Logan slamming into the hard floor, Roman's shaking hands pulling the trigger, Ethan's expression dropping as he was forced to face the consequences of his actions for the very first time. The noise of the gun was deafening within the small basement, ringing in their ears for what felt like hours after it went off.

One shot, straight to the chest, and Ethan was done, flung backwards by the impact.

Roman dropped the gun after he hit him, flinching at the crash of it hitting the floor and wrapping his arms around himself. 

He looked down at the man in front of him, not dead yet but not alive either. In that state of being where Roman assumes you see your life flash before his eyes. Roman wondered what he saw... 

"I'm sorry..." He cried, jerking away when Logan touched him, hitting the wall and closing his eyes, sobbing as hard as when he had seen remus, shaking like he had been dunked in ice water and left in the arctic, and breathing as if he never would again. 

A door above them bursted open police shouting and flashlights searching every room. "DOWN HERE!" Logan called, flashlights shining in his face when they reached the basement door. Roman raised his hands above his head, now a murderer  _ no better than Ethan _ .


	10. Finale

Even before Emile had answered the doorbell, Logan could hear Patton's baby babble of "dadda dadda dadadadada" through the door. They had just came back from Remy's funeral, the car ride to Emile's apartment was silent and painful. Car rides would probably always be painful for Roman after everything that happened. He kept a hand on Logan the whole time, up until Emile had opened the door with a bouncing baby Patton in his arms

"Hii!" He sing songy, shifting Patton to one arm to hug Logan when he entered "someone missed you!" Roman couldn't help but smile looking at him, his little legs kicking frantically and hands making grabby motions towards Logan. He had thick blonde curls circling his head like a halo, and chubby cheeks smiling ear to ear.

"And I missed him!" Logan called, taking Patton into his own arms and hugging him tight. Patton's hands were pulling at anything he could get, giggling when he pulled off his daddas glasses and dropped them to the floor. "Did you have fun with uncle Emile??" He asked, getting a string of gibberish back from the boy. Emile gestured them in, nudging toys out of the way from where they were sprawled out on the floor. 

Roman took a minute to take in the room and quickly realised he couldn't tell where Patton's stuff stopped and Emile's started. The walls were a light pink almost like a baby girls nursery, shelves of stuffed animals and toys decorating the walls alongside posters of  _ avatar the last airbender _ and  _ into the spiderverse _ . The only thing that did not match the childlike decor was the pictures of him and another man decorating every free space he had. 

Logan carried on pretending to understand the mindless babble from Patton as Roman traced the room, stopping in front of a frame holding the two on their wedding day, kissing like it was the only thing giving them life. 

"That was angel" Emile smiled, resting his hand on Roman's shoulder. "He was perfect" 

' _ Was? _ ' Roman thought to himself, a quick glance at Emile's hand revealed a wedding band and one more glance around the room showed a picture of Emile nearly tackling the man wearing a military uniform in what seems to be an airport. ' _ Oh. _ '

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude" Roman laughed awkwardly. He had met Emile a smattering of times when him and Logan were dating, but had never actually talked about anything more than the charlie brown thanksgiving special they watched every year. 

"Oh you're fine" Emile waved it off "it was a long time ago" behind them, roman could hear Logan baby-talk back to his son.

"That's  _ Roman _ " he stretched out Roman's name for the boy to learn " _ Roman _ " the man in question whipped around, moving to squat in front of the two sitting on the couch. 

"Ro-in" Patton tried, making both of them smile widely. Roman played with the fingers on Patton's chubby hand, making the baby giggle.

"It's nice to meet you!" Roman smiled, holding out his finger for Patton to grab and shake. His entire hand circled around one finger.

"I think he likes you" Logan added softly, picking up Patton and setting him in Roman's arms. Patton loved being held by anyone and everyone, he thrived off the physical affection and absolutely adored the attention. He practically immediately wrapped his arms around the stranger, mumbling various incorrect versions of his name as he tried to add it to his limited vocabulary. (New words were coming everyday, even if he didn't know what they meant. Yesterday he learned 'kitty' after watching monsters inc) 

"I think I like him too" he whispered. When Emile walked into the kitchen, Roman moved himself and Patton onto the couch, resting his head against Logan's shoulder as he bounced Patton up and down. "I like this. I like that you're a dad now.. " Patton started to wiggle himself out of Roman's grip, crawling to the floor to beat at some blocks with letters on them. 

"Well" Logan smiled fondly, leaning over and tilting Roman's chin gently with his index finger "I think you'd make a pretty great dad too" he kissed him softly, the action being more smiles than anything.

This was what Roman wanted, and was afraid he'd never get. Forgiveness. The promise that he hadn't ruined this too, that they could start over with a kid and soon a new apartment, a new family… that despite everything he was still loved. 

_ Unconditionally _ . 

  
  


** _One year later_ **

  
  


“Papa Roman look!” Patton bounced, holding up painting of the three of them, plus their pet cat  _ virgil _ . He smiled a mostly toothless grin as he proudly displayed his work. In all reality, the construction paper had barely recognizable blobs of color and some scribbles vaguely forming the shape of the 3 and a black splotch of paint labeled ' _ virgil  _ ' . 

“Look at that!” Roman proudly proclaimed, hoisting up Patton and setting him on the counter beside him “aren't you just a little artist!” Patton nodded his head, happily kicked his legs against the counter. He made small grabby hands towards the empty bowl of cake batter, still not fantastic at forming sentences to ask for what wants . Roman chuckled and held up the spoon, holding it in front of him before pulling it back.

“Say please,” he instructed.

“Please!” Patton giggled, pulling on Roman's apron, smiling widely when he received the spoon. 

“What do we say?” Roman added, watching Patton smear the chocolate batter on his face in an attempt to fit the entire mixing spoon in his mouth.

“Thank you!” he added around the spoon. A door opened in the adjacent living room, and Roman silently congratulated himself for not flinching too hard. He felt their cat virgil rub itself against his leg, asking silently to be lifted and pet, he was a lot like the actual virgil, always wanting attention, causing trouble, managing to find the weirdest places to nap. Roman had a conspiracy that the cat actually  _ was _ virgil, Logan told him that was nonsense.

“Daddy!” Patton called, hopping off the counter and falling to the floor, legs trembling slightly as he stood up and continued to run to Logan standing by the door.

“Greetings, Patton,” Logan smiled, lifting his son into his arms with a small grunt of effort “hello Roman.” this has become routine for the pair. Once the dust had settled, court cases fought, and funerals had, they had done everything in their power to make life as normal as possible for themselves, and Patton. That didn't stop it from hurting, hell they both still woke up from night terrors from that day, week,hell the whole month. They both know that it'll never completely go away, that that pain and hurt and trauma will still be there underneath it all but for now they had a kid to raise and the therapy and medication sure was helping. 

“You’re home early,” Roman smiled, leaning up to give Logan a small kiss as he walked through the kitchen. Logan had, understandably, quit his job as a detective, moving instead to work some nameless desk job. Roman had started working from home, finding it easier to handle emotionally after everything that happened, plus giving him a chance to finally get to know Patton. 

Logan began to rant and ramble about his time with his boss and coworkers,why he was home early, the traffic on the way there, and something in Roman's head clicked about how much of a dad he looked like. Holding his child, standing in the kitchen of their own, virgil now trying to find a way on top of the fridge and the sun shining through the window above the sink and the smell of chocolate cake slowly filling the kitchen. 

It was the life he'd always wanted, and the life Logan had always wanted to provide. When he met ethan, he was promised a life of luxury- high celings, epensive clothes, sex, and money. But looking back this was all he wanted. A Modest apartment with a kid and  _ Logan _ , and an engagement ring on his finger, this time one he was asked, not told to wear.

This was exactly where he wanted to be, this was the happy ending hed always imagined in his head.

“Are you alright Roman?” Logan's voice pierced through his thoughts, setting Patton down on the floor beside him to cup his face in his hands. 

“Yeah,” he smiled, sniffing softly. “I'm okay." there was a whisper of hope on the tip of his tounge.

" _ I'm okay." _

**Author's Note:**

> I know that there was (and is going to be) alot of mistakes when talking about legal stuff anf crime scene and such, please do not feel the need to poi t them out please and thank you


End file.
